Worth the Watch… But Not Without Skipping
The acting was solid, and the leads were convincing in their affection...but I couldn’t fully buy into their chemistry. The plot felt stretched out, especially with 56 episodes, and I skimmed through a lot of filler. The whole immortal-god-falling-for-someone-way-younger trope felt off to me, even if it’s fantasy. I wanted a stronger reason for their bond, beyond power or old debts. I also wasn’t thrilled that the female lead had to struggle so much. That said, curiosity kept me going, and while I didn’t love the drawn-out misunderstandings, it had enough romance to keep me hooked...just not as much as “Eternal Love.”Was this review helpful to you?
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An Eternal Nightmare
After watching Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms when it first streamed, I was very excited to watch Eternal Love of Dream despite the change in story. However, I was very disappointed in it and found it hard to watch. It took me several months to get through it which rarely happens.Pros:
- Bringing back Vengo Gao and Dilraba Dilmurat was the best part of the show and frankly the only reason I persisted through it till the end. Their chemistry, as before, was flawless and their acting was on point. No complaints there!
- The cinematography was lovely and I found the sets to overall be more realistic than in TMOPB.
- As always the OST was beautiful.
- Costuming, again, was perfect. I appreciated how each tribe had their own general but unique style without all looking the same.
Cons:
-This may seem minor or petty, but I was not fond of some of the recasts, Cheng Yu in particular. The new actress appears significantly younger and some of her scenes with Lian Song just didn't work for me with the obvious age difference, she just seems too young for him. The actress in TMOPB seemed to be a more comparable age and the two actors played off each other much better, in my opinion.
-The plot positively dragged for me. The constant misunderstandings between Feng Jiu and Dong Hua from the very beginning to quite literally the very end got exhausting after a while. The fact that neither seemed to learn from past mistakes was also frustrating and that more than a few of their misunderstandings seemed very forced, that if they had just used some common sense there wouldn't even be an issue, just compounded the issue. A'Lanruo's Dream was a particular challenge to get through. There were aspects that were not explained well and it got confusing at times with what was going on and who was who and what their relationships were. Most of it got ironed out in the end, but in the moment it was confusing and frustrating. I also never got a very clear picture of why A'Lanruo was hated so much by everyone or why she was abandoned as a child. There were hints, but nothing definitive so the blanks within her life were another source of frustration.
- I very much liked Feng Jiu in TMOPB, but I realized very soon after starting this drama that part of that was because she was seen in small doses overall. With her as the lead in this drama, I definitely found her to be a little more over the top and annoying at times. When she's a fox towards the beginning was particularly cringy and a challenge to watch. I would have really liked to see her character develop and mature and mellow from the childishness to a more measured level.
- The side characters were a mixed bunch. Ji Heng in particular annoyed the crap out of me. She was a basically pointless character whose only purpose was to sow discord between Feng Jiu and Dong Hua. Xiao Yan deserved so much better than her whininess. Xiao Yan on the other hand was a lot of fun and I enjoyed seeing Lian Song and Si Ming back. Chong Li was a welcome addition as was Qing Ti. As a side note, I found the dismissal of the deaths of Meng Shao and his family more than a little irritating. I came to really like Meng Shao and appreciate his character development so the fact that his death was barely mentioned and even then just in passing as part of the royal family was off-putting. He wasn't a main character, but he had enough of a part to deserve a little more recognition.
-The villains were okay but not particularly impressive. Miao Luo's obnoxious evil laugh got old real fast and I never found her to be particularly threatening or interesting. It could be that I'm just forgetting, but I didn't get a real sense for why she was evil or what her motivation was other than because of how she was created. At least with Nie Chuyin his motivation was clearly power and the desire to rule. I honestly would have found it more interesting to have him as the main villain as he was far more compelling and interesting to watch.
- As with pretty much every drama I've watched, the CGI definitely leaves more than a little to be desired. The episodes with Feng Jiu in her fox form were a bit painful to watch, in more ways than one. The bad effects and her behavior combined made those some tough episodes to get through.
-A relatively minor issue, but I always get frustrated with these fantasy dramas and how unclear they make the passage of time. You watch a few episodes and think a few days or months have gone by only to find out that nope, its been a few hundred years. I feel like they could make that a little more clear.
In the end, did I hate it? No. Did I love it? Also no. It wasn't a bad drama, but it wasn't a particularly good one either. It pales hugely in comparison to TMOPB in pretty much all aspects. It's certainly not one that I'll ever have the desire to rewatch but I also don't necessarily regret watching it either. It simply wasn't quite my cup of tea.
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The most boring show I've ever seen
This was probably the most boring show I've ever seen, I honestly would have given up halfway on the show if it wasn't for Lian Song and Cheng Yu. I really wanted to give up on the show especially at the part when Feng Jiu got trapped in the A’Lanruo dream. I felt like I was wasting my time looking at a world and stories of characters I don't care about. I don't care about the people in the dreams, I don't know where they come from, or their previous life, and I didn't care. I think the show spends way too much time showing the dream that I really just wanted to give up. I only finished the drama because of Lian Song and Cheng Yu's love. I thought that their love is funny and sweet in a way that made me want to finish the show. The show was so boring to the point where I took like 5 minutes to finish an episode. I've seen better shows than this. Now Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms actually had a good storyline, I understood everything that was going on, I cannot say the same for this show, everything happens out of nowhere, and again the A’Lanruo dream was not necessary at all.The fact that in Season 1, it was mainly about Bai Qian and Ye Hua but we there were at least in total 10 episodes of Dijun and Feng Jiu which were unnecessary and then in Season 2, there is like 5 minutes of Bai Qian, which is completely messed up because, season 1 is on Bai Qian and Ye Hua, but they had to throw in Feng Jiu and Dijun when Feng Jiu and Dijun have their own love story.
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Migraine-Inducing
OVERALLThis drama can be enjoyable if you're good at suspending your disbelief...and your values. Watch it if 1) you like the fantasy genre, 2) you like stories that take you on a journey, going through a gazillion plot changes, 3) you'll be happy with a few sweet love scenes. If 1) immature female leads make your skin crawl, 2) you get confused easily, and 3) you can't stand rushed endings, then skip.
THE STORY
I need to start by saying two things: 1) I know this drama is linked to another one, but I didn't see it, so I'm the new, fresh viewer (not the fan of Eternal Love), and 2) I don't usually watch xanxia, it's not my go-to genre. For anyone not like me, then the following review may not be very useful, but if you identify, read on!
I decided to try the drama out because I saw some clips on YouTube that looked fun and cute. From episode 1, I could tell it'd be a rough ride. Let me start with the good stuff. First, there really are fun and cute scenes between the leads. Not too many, not the ULTIMATE best (see Love Designer for that!), but still good enough to keep you going until the very end. Secondly, not going to give much away, but a part of the drama takes place in the mortal world. That part was definitely the best of the drama. It's more realistic, the characters are more down-to-earth, the plot is more coherent, and it makes you really emotional. And...that's it.
Now for the bad. The absolute worst of this drama is the FL. She acts like a five year old 95% of the time (the 5% she doesn't is when she's in the mortal world). I have a lot of difficulty understanding how she's supposed to be attractive to the ML...which leads me to ML, who's too expressionless for my taste. That makes everything worse because he's like a statue and the FL is like...a prepubescent child. It just felt so weird to root for them. And then there's the issue of the FL being dehumanized a few times in the drama, which really brings that weirdness to a whole new level because not only is she demoted to an immature child, but also to an animal and an object. And then there's the fact that the plot jumps from one problem/world to the next and they don't seem to be connected at all, which is confusing. And then there's the fantasy elements that aren't explained well. And then there's the rushed ending. And then there's the flashy surreal visual effects... There's just too many issues that were hard to digest, I couldn't fully enjoy it.
THE ACTING
Despite hating her character, I still liked Dilraba's acting the best, just because she makes it seem so natural. I was not too impressed by Vengo, though it could also be the role. He definitely seemed better in the mortal world part. I need to see him in something else to confirm. I can't say much about their chemistry because, like I said, the romance made me feel kind of awkward at times, given how they depicted the FL. I don't have much to say about second leads either. They weren't particularly endearing, except maybe the demon lord.
THE MUSIC
...yeah...
REWATCH VALUE
Low. I can just watch YouTube clips to jump straight to the worthwhile scenes.
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Although it would be unfair to compare it to TMOPB, it just doesn't compare. The lore in this version isn't so big or exciting. It is only worth checking out if you like the leads or love stories in general. The overall cast in the 1st part was clearly superior and I found myself somehow missing Zhang Bin Bin the most lol.
PLOT:
It's cute but it gets frustrating seeing the female - Fengjiu being hopelessly in love with Dong Hua. I was prepared to go in for some real heartbreak as I knew DH is a sort of cold person. But man, I did feel so bad for Fengjiu who got her heart broken so many times within the first 10 episodes. It seems largely due to her playful but naive self but it does make you pity her. The mortal realm was surprisingly lighter compared to other xianxia dramas. When they got back to heaven all was fine except the Dream of Aranya sequence. I had to do FF after ep 36ish. The ending was better than expected because at least we got back the main leads back in one piece and the 'separation' didn't last long.
CHARACTERS:
Fengjiu's character growth is what made watching it worthwhile. She's awfully immature in the beginning but beomes much better later on. Dong Hua was also pissing me off for a while - there's only so many smirks one can win me over with. Neither of them seem as badass as Bai Qian or Ye Hua nor they did they have the same chemistry. But overall it was pleasant to watch. I feel like this story was more on the redemption of Di Jun/Dong Hua because I wanted to sit and see him suffer some as well. I feel like in the last installment and this one, it was majorly Fengjiu having to suffer and prove everything. When it comes to the baddies, they all fell flat to me. I didn't even like any of their acting. I'd have to rate it meh in that department.
ACTING:
Oh BOY this is where this drama lacks A LOT. Neither Dilraba nor Vengo were excellent. Dilraba was good because her character was basic and didn't have to have Oscar-level acting. I'd rate Vengo lower because he had this awesome character to play but it fell flat. I did like his "ice face" and "romance face" but I was just not feeling it with the sad parts. I didn't think this role was totally cut out for someone of his level of acting. I would say he is charming at best because, come on - there is only one Dong Hua in this world! But there could have been someone better at acting. (I am treading into dangerous category here and must be offending a few fans)
OVERALL:
I was guaranteed sugary sweetness which I got but I wanted more. The plot was ok, acting was ok and the overall experience was ok. I don't think I ever lost sleep over this as I recall being obsessed over other C-dramas that I have watched. I have seem some people say that this drama wasn't required at all. I could somewhat agree but then I never would have seen the growth of the two leads nor the redemption of Dong Hua (yes, I am calling that because he always seemed cold to me in TMOPB and the initial 10 eps of this drama). I also watched because of Dilraba - I love her and she is very cute and gorgeous at the same time.
Take your pick - watch it or skip it. I can't find many reasons to do either.
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I have to say that I did appreciate Vengo's performance the most as he had the biggest journey in terms of character growth. He starts off as quite the ice cube, as Yan Chiwu nicknames him. He is guarded, stand-offish, and proud. That cold exterior is very off-putting for anyone but Bai Fenjiu. Falling in love, therefore, changes him. I like who he became after realizing he had fallen completely under our little Fenjiu's spell. He was more alive in a subdued way. He cried, he showed joy, anger and jealousy--all while staying true to Donhua Dijun's demeanor as an Imperial Lord. Well done!
Another character I liked to my surprise is Yan Chiwu of the Demon realm. He started off as such an annoying peacock with the way he walked, threw his weight around and arrogantly disrespected Dong Hua. But he was one of those unexpected allies that becomes indispensable. Though his wrap-up felt forced, I guess it was the only ending they could think to give him. I would much rather he'd given up and set his sights elsewhere. Wayne Liu did a great job as Yan Chiwu. At first I didn't know how I would feel seeing him come back as a different character than the one he plays in Eternal Love. Even the explanation of this is rather silly and unbelievable, but his character is much more interesting as a demon lord than as the bumbling disciple of Mo Yuan.
My biggest disappointment was the scene between Bai Qian and Bai Fengjiu. I was looking forward to Yang Mi's cameo appearance but the scene between these two actresses was awful. The way the scene was written, the vibe came off they didn't like each other. Bai Qian seems exasperated with Fenjiu and that was never the case between them in the past. Auntie Bai Qian loved her little niece and Fengjiu was ready to fight anyone that hurt her beloved aunt. Here, we have two important characters acting like feuding sisters. The choice to have Bai Qian saddle her niece with suitors is so out of character because she never would have done that. Bai Qian is the queen of the dis and never liked having suitors hoisted on her. Why would her niece be any different? That choice was so unlike Bai Qian and it bugged me. What were the writers thinking? The absence of Yehua is sorely missed, particularly during the climax of the series. I almost expected to see Mo Yuan, Yehua and Bai Qian, fan at the ready, to do battle with the evil Miao Luo. I hear this was the actual ending in the book. It's too bad they had to change the ending because Mark Chao was unavailable.
Music was good. Not as great as Eternal Love but tolerable enough to add to my Asian drama soundtrack playlist.
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This review may contain spoilers
As a viewer who loved the Dong Hua and Feng Jiu couple from Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, I’m so happy that they turned their novel into a drama of their own. STORY
Part 1: Feng Jiu’s Wasted Love (Episodes 1-10)
A young Feng Jiu is saved by Dong Hua. Smitten, she goes to work as a maid in his palace to repay the life debt. She gives up her fur temporarily to save him in the soul locking jade. Pampered by Dong Hua until Ji Heng and her pet came along. Almost dying, Feng Jiu goes back to QingQui.
As much as I love Feng Jiu, it was a struggle to watch these episodes. I hated every time I saw Feng Jiu acting lovesick for Dong Hua, who didn’t even know she existed. But I got through it knowing that Feng Jiu is supposed to be a teenager, probably not much older than 15 or 16. She’s never been in love before and growing up spoiled didn’t help in preventing her from doing something as dumb as try to be a maid in his palace.
Part 2: Mortal realm (Episodes 10-21)
Dong Hua goes to the mortal realm to regain cultivation. Lives his life as Emperor Song XuanRen. Trying to repay the life debt, Feng Jiu goes too and saves him in battle, only to realize she messed with his love trial. Introduced as a new consort, XuanRen and General Ye QingTi fell in love with her. Ye QingTi sacrifices his life to save her and Feng Jiu commits suicide, thus completeing Dong Hua’s love misfortune.
As for the mortal arc, I’m a bit more forgiving. This is the first of their three lifetime love story for Feng Jiu and Dong Hua. Although we only see bits through flashbacks in the book, this is where the viewer needs to see why Feng Jiu goes through such lengths to bring back Qing Ti. Qing Ti’s death helps Feng Jiu realize that her silly crush has disastrous consequences. Her part in being mortal Dong Hua’s love trial misfortune helped her to get over him. She comes back a changed woman.
Part 3: Back to Sky Kingdom (Episodes 21-27)
Feng Jiu officially meets Dong Hua during Bai Qian’s wedding. Dong Hua teases Feng Jiu at the wedding banquet. He hides her when at the hot springs when Lian Song comes in. He saves her from a fire beast and watches as she trolls the suitors that her aunt sets up for her. She goes to Dong Hua to reclaim some jewelry she left behind at the hot spring unknowingly insinuating that they spent the night in front of many people. She transforms herself into a handkerchief to avoid Dong Hua, but he picks her up and takes her to battle when he fights with Yan Chiwu. Both Chi Wu and Feng Jiu fall into Fanyin Valley.
This is when the good stuff begins! It’s also the beginning of the novel, so for those like me who read it, it was particularly exciting. It’s funny to see the more Feng Jiu does her best to ignore Dong Hua, the more interested he becomes in her. And Dong Hua starts calling her “Xiao Bai”!
Part 4: Fanyin Valley (Episodes 27-35)
Chi Wu and Feng Jiu hide their identities and stay in Fanyin valley for six months before Dong Hua arrives. Feng Jiu misunderstands that he’s there for Ji Heng who is also at the valley to purify herself. A competition is announced and the prize is the pimpon fruit which can bring the mortal dead to life. Dong Hua teaches Feng Jiu and she wins the competition. Dong Hua gives the fruit to Ji Heng so she can cure herself instead. Feng Jiu goes to get the fruit herself, but gets stuck in Aranya’s dream. Lian Song informs Dong Hua that Feng Jiu was his missing fox and why she wanted the fruit so badly. With a shaken heart, but steady mind, Dong Hua goes after Feng Jiu.
Feng Jiu and Yan Chi Wu together are lovable idiots. They probably share a brain cell. There are really only four sides to Dong Hua; Ice Face, jealous, shameless, and in love. Dong Hua shamelessly trying to get close to Feng Jiu, his jealousy whenever he sees her with Chi Wu, the look in his eyes and the smirk every time he sees her! It’s so unfortunate that he doesn’t really know how to express his love and it just comes off as Dong Hua teasing her like a child would to his crush. And it’s super satisfying to see Dong Hua chase after Feng Jiu this time!
Part 5: Aranya’s Dream (Episode 36-50)
Feng Jiu wakes up in Aranya’s dream with most of her memory gone. Dong Hua uses this to his advantage and seals her body away so he can find her spirit in the dream world. Her spirit wakes up as Aranya. Aranya’s teacher, Su MoYe knows she is Feng Jiu, but tells her to live Aranya’s life so that they could know how she died and it may be the key to escape the dram world. Dong Hua disguises himself as Xi Ze, Aranya’s husband, not knowing Feng Jiu is Aranya. As Feng Jiu lives Aranya’s life, the tragic love story between Chen Ye and Aranya and the birth of Aranya’s dream are revealed.
These episodes were bittersweet. On one hand we see how much Dong Hua loves Feng Jiu and the lengths he goes for her. There are so many sugary scenes where Dong Hua just cannot keep his hands off of his fox XD. Although the rest of the dream world may see them as Aranya and Xi Ze, they are most definitely Feng Jiu and Dong Hua when they consummate their marriage. On the other hand, we also get to see how much Chen Ye loves Aranya, but unlike their counterparts, misunderstandings have ruined their relationship until death finally tears them apart. It hurt to see how much Chen Ye was grieving over her death and it shows just how far Dong Hua in every life is willing to go for Feng Jiu.
Part 6: The Final Battle, The End (Episode 50-56)
Planning a wedding and building their dream house, Feng Jiu and Dong Hua are very much in love. Feng Jiu has her BingCang ceremony and Nie Chu Yin foolishly asks her to battle. Dong Hua goes back to FanYin valley to help Ji Heng one last time, but never shows up on the day of the wedding. Feng Jiu’s missing memories are returned and she is pregnant. Heartbroken, she leaves to the mortal realm where she gives birth to Dong Hua’s son, Bai GunGun. Dong Hua returns to find his bride missing and closes the portal for mortal to immortal ascension as a way to bring her back to heaven. The demon lords have been putting their powers together to release Miao Luo. Dong Hua gives Feng Jiu a ring which she refuses to take. Dong Hua goes to fight Miao Luo where one must die even though he is poisoned. Everything is revealed to Feng Jiu and she rushes to help Dong Hua. Together they defeat Miao Luo. Dong Hua finally meets his son.
What’s Dong Hua and Feng Jiu’s love story without one last misunderstanding? Even until the very end, they’ve suffered so much. I’ve never hated Ji Heng’s character until this part. She clearly knew that Dong Hua loves and was to marry another woman, but shamelessly uses her father as an excuse to keep him. Dong Hua taking the poison onto himself as a way to finally get rid of Ji Heng? Get yourself a man who’d rather poison himself than be with someone other than his woman. On top of that, he literally makes Feng Jiu a wedding ring from half his heart. Can your OTP say the same thing? The battle was super angsty; there was blood, lovers almost dying together, and Dong Hua saying “I love you” to Feng Jiu first! Oh, I just love pain. During the Father and son meeting, I couldn’t stop smiling and seeing everyone’s reaction to the fact that Dong Hua had a kid was hilarious. The ending was perfect, they all lived happily ever after!
CINEMATOGRAPHY and VISUALS/COSTUME
The cinematography in this drama is beautiful. The sets, the locations, and even the CGI for the most part was so pleasing to the eyes. I didn’t like the overly bright filters used for many of these kinds of dramas, so I’m glad they didn’t do that here. The scenery was amazing. The CGI was definitely more a hit than a miss, my favorite having to be the cute little fox! Can’t blame Dong Hua for not wanting to give it up. And the final battle!! I really cannot stop praising how the editing crew has gone above and beyond for this drama.
Costume wise, they were not as impressive as the ones in Ten Miles as a lot of other people may have commented, however, I found the tulle like fabric made more sense since they seemed more lighter and flowy for the gods while the silk and heavier fabrics were for the demons. All in all, I really have no complaints, I know a lot of hard work was put in, especially when it comes to the little details on their clothes.
MUSIC
Would you believe me if I told you I bought some of them on iTunes? Yes, that’s how much I loved it. Look up the meaning for the OSTs in this drama! It’s crazy how well it relates to the main characters' love story.
REWATCH VALUE
BRB, going to have to watch it again on WeTV, maybe once on the Tencent app, then on YouTube, gotta buy the DVD if they ever make one….
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This review may contain spoilers
A whole lot of nothing
This is like cotton candy -- too sweet and dissolves instantly. There is nothing of depth, substance or real interest in this drama. The characters are one-dimensional cardboard cutouts. The acting is subpar. They are going through the motions of pining, cuteness, jealousy, protectiveness, sacrifice, all without any real tangible grounding in anything. Why is anyone doing anything? Why do they love each other? What is the plot? The only reason it has a rating higher than 2 stars is that it is not toxic/disgusting. So it technically is rewatchable if you want your brain to melt out your ears.Was this review helpful to you?
Being Honest
I put this on my 'plan to watch' list a while back and was ready to dip into the story like a chicken nugget in some ranch sauce until I realized the nugget was soggy. I did not go in expecting much...but I love these Three Lives Three Worlds dramas and I was willing to give it a try. I will keep it simple...What I did not like:
Dragging scenes that seemed to be thrown into fill the time
Dilraba's character at the beginning of the series was hard to take
Vego character in the mortal world and one of his role's in the so-called dream.
The demon princesses role- even though I know she negotiated some deal because she owned the rights to the story
No purpose demonic villain
What I liked:
Wayne Liu- Best character ever...I want them to revive this role for a whole new drama/ give him a better person to love and call it a day!
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